Topline
A sign of the country’s steps toward normalcy, air travel reached a new pandemic record over the Memorial Day weekend, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), with the surge of Americans taking to the skies for the holiday closing in on pre-coronavirus levels.
People wait in line for Luna Park at Coney Island on Memorial Day in the Brooklyn Borough of New ... [+]
Key Facts
A total of 7.1 million people passed through airport security checkpoints between Friday and Monday, TSA data shows.
Friday became the busiest day for air travel since the start of the pandemic with 1.96 million passing through security checkpoints—a record quickly followed by Monday’s 1.9 million.
Overall, air travel was up nearly 450% from the same period last year, when just 1.3 million passed through TSA checkpoints as Covid-19 surged across the country.
This year’s holiday travel closed in on pre-pandemic levels, with airports clocking nearly 75% of 2019’s security checkpoint traffic of 9.7 million.
Big Number
37 million. That’s how many Americans were projected to travel 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend, an increase of 60% from the same time last year, according to a AAA analysis.
Key Background
This uptick in air travel comes as new cases and deaths reach record lows in the U.S. following a quick rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. Nearly 60% of eligible Americans (12 years old and over) have received at least one shot, while almost 50% have been fully inoculated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The health agency also recently relaxed recommendations on traveling and gathering with groups both indoors and outdoors. Meanwhile, many states have been rolling back restrictions, including mask mandates.
Further Reading
“What You Should Know About The CDC Travel Guidelines” (Forbes)
“Do I Need A Covid Test To Travel And Other Summer Travel Questions” (Forbes)
“With holiday, LAX has heaviest passenger traffic of 2021 so far” (The Los Angeles Times)
